academic programs, and an institution-wide
commitment to student success; all are hallmarks
of our excellent public comprehensive college and a
solid foundation from which to move The College at
Brockport forward.
This year 24 new faculty join our College.
Continuing our strong emphasis on the teacher-scholar
model, each of these individuals brings a passion for
teaching and a robust scholarly agenda from which to
build upon. Please join me in welcoming them to the
Brockport faculty.

Anne E. Huot, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

New Faculty

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The School of The Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Joanne Cepelak, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology
Dr. Cepelak joins Brockport from Alfred State University, where she
most recently served as an associate professor of social and behavioral
sciences. She previously served as the dean of Alfred State’s School of
Arts and Sciences. Dr. Cepelak earned her PhD in higher education
from Syracuse University.
Ingrid Hess
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Art
Ms. Hess comes to Brockport from the University of Notre Dame,
where she taught a number of design courses. Prior to that, she
worked as a senior designer at McDougal Littell and Kym Abrams
Design. Ms. Hess earned her Master of Fine Arts in graphic design
from Indiana University.
Jean Kachiga, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Political Science
Dr. Kachiga joins Brockport from Simpson University in California.
Her academic interests include the examination of the dynamics
of change in international relations, whose processes produce new
paradigms to which states adjust. “What excites me about teaching
and learning is the process of contributing to the molding of young
minds,” she says. Dr. Kachiga earned her PhD in international
studies/relations from the University of Frankfurt.

Joseph Long, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Philosophy
The enthusiasm and dedication to teaching and scholarly research
among Brockport’s philosophy department’s faculty is what excites
Dr. Long about this new opportunity. His research centers within the
philosophy of science and metaethics. “I am concerned with whether
and—if so—how, the methods of science can reveal truths about the
‘mind-independent’ natural world,” he says. Dr. Long earned his PhD
in philosophy from Florida State University.
William Morris, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of History
Dr. Morris joins the Brockport faculty from Illinois Wesleyan
University, where he was a visiting assistant professor of European
history. He has also taught at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and the University of Mississippi. He earned a PhD in
modern European history from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign.
Tiffany Rawlings, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Anthropology
Dr. Rawlings is a bioarchaeologist who is interested in skeletal
analysis of human remains. Her research interests include: ancient
disease, health and nutritional stress in ancient populations, forensic
anthropology and human evolution. “There is so much going on in
my field,” she says, “so I enjoy keeping abreast of all of the exciting
discoveries and research projects.” Dr. Rawlings earned her PhD in
archaeology from Simon Fraser University.

Karl Rogers
Assistant Professor

Department of Dance
The reputation of Brockport’s dance department drew Rogers to
campus. “It has managed to cultivate a national reputation with a
rare alchemy—hard work coupled with fun,” he says. Rogers’ research
surrounds how the moving body makes meaning. His performing is
known for its athletic, upside down, quirky movement vocabulary
and intricate partnering. He is currently completing his PhD in dance
from The Ohio State University.
Erin Ruppel, PhD
Assistant Professor

Department of Communication
Dr. Ruppel’s research examines how people use new communication
technologies—email, social networks, text messaging—to improve
their relationships, work and health. She earned her PhD in
communication from the University of Arizona in August, 2011. “I’m
a knowledge junky,” Dr. Ruppel says. “I love to learn new things, no
matter what the subject.”
Kimberly Schutte
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of History
Ms. Schutte, who has lived in the Midwest her entire life, is excited to
explore a new part of the country. “I was attracted by the size of the
College, which will permit me to get to know my students far more
than is possible at a very large institution,” she says. Her research
studies the marriage patterns of aristocratic British women in the
period between 1485 and 2000. She is currently pursuing her PhD in
history from the University of Kansas.

Jeffery Snarr, PhD
Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology
Dr. Snarr joins the College from Stony Brook University, where he
was a research scientist in the Department of Psychology. “Broadly
speaking, my research interests encompass family dysfunction and
its effects on children,” he says. Brockport, according to Dr. Snarr,
offered a number of elements that were attractive to him, especially
a good balance between teaching and research. Dr. Snarr earned his
PhD in clinical psychology from Stony Brook.
Carter Soles, PhD
Assistant Professor

Department of English
Dr. Soles’ scholarship focuses on film studies, with an emphasis on
issues of gender, sexuality and race. He studies the rise of the geek in
contemporary media, issues in film authorship and the comedy and
horror genres. “What excites me most about teaching and learning
is the way those two activities synergize together—I truly do learn
as much from my students as they learn from me,” he says. Dr. Soles
earned his PhD in English from the University of Oregon.
Sevinc Turkkan
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of English
Ms. Turkkan was drawn to Brockport because of the impressive
faculty within its English department. “I was impressed by the
friendly, amicable and congenial attitude of the faculty members
in the English department, as well as their impressive scholarship,”
she says. Ms. Turkkan’s research studies comparative world literary
studies and literary translation. She is currently pursuing her PhD in
comparative literature from the University of Illionis-Urbana.

Tamara Wilcox
Assistant Professor

Department of Dance
Ms. Wilcox joins Brockport from Eastern Michigan University,
where she taught for 11 years. She is a dance musician, who chose
to come to Brockport largely because of the unique opportunities
that its dance department presents for a musician working in
the field of dance. “What excites me most about teaching and
learning is the opportunity to be a catalyst for personal evolution
and transformation,” she says. She earned her Master of Music in
collaborative piano performance from Eastern Michigan University.

The School of Business Administration and Economics
Fjorentina Angjellari-Daci, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Business Administration and Economics
Dr. Angjellari-Daci joins the Brockport faculty from Paine College,
where she was an assistant professor of economics. She earned her
PhD in economics from Kansas State University. Her research
interests include open economy macroeconomics, health economics,
energy and radioactive waste management and others.

The School of Education and Human Services
Jennifer Ashton, PhD
Assistant Professor

Department of Education and Human Development
Dr. Ashton received her PhD in teaching and curriculum from
the University of Rochester in 2010. Her research is grounded in
disability studies in education, and she explores common practices
in inclusive education through that lens. Ashton’s favorite part about
teaching is the unpredictability of every class. “Each group of students
brings with them a unique set of backgrounds and perspectives,
which help to guide our progression as a group through the course
curriculum,” she says.

Sandra Cimbricz, PhD
Assistant Professor

Department of Education and Human Development
Dr. Cimbricz’s research interests focus on the intersection of
educational policy and classroom practice. “Teaching and learning
never seem to grow old, regardless of how old I grow. If anything,
I continue to be humbled by and grateful for what others help me
to understand about myself, others, and the world around me,” she
says. Dr. Cimbricz earned her PhD in elementary education from the
University at Buffalo in 2001.
Bellah Kiteki, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Counselor Education
Dr. Kiteki was immediately attracted to Brockport because of the
enthusiasm she sensed among the faculty during her visit. Her
research centers on adolescent refugees from war-torn countries who
have been resettled in the United States. “I am interested in variables
that contribute to their successful adjustment in new environments,”
she says. She earned her PhD in counseling and counselor education
this year from the University of North Carolina at Greeensboro.
Miu Ha Kwong, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor

Department of Social Work
Dr. Kwong earned her PhD in clinical social work from New York
University in 2007. She says her teaching philosophy is to strive to
create a positive, relaxed and dynamic environment for learning and
participation. Dr. Kwong comes to Brockport from the University of
Hong Kong, where she served on the faculty of social sciences in the
Department of Social Work & Social Administration.

The School of Health and Human Performance
Cynthia Booth, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Health Science
Dr. Booth comes to Brockport with 20 years of experience in
teaching and service in higher education and 10 years of experience in
management of clinical and hospital operations. She earned her PhD
in higher education leadership from the University of North Dakota
in 2000. Dr. Booth is excited to re-enter the field of higher education
after spending the last part of her career in hospital systems. “My
motto is, I am a student teacher…I teach students and they teach
me,” she says.
Elizabeth Grimm, PhD
Assistant Professor

Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education
Dr. Grimm was attracted to Brockport because of the collaborative
nature of its faculty and the cross-disciplinary nature of her new
department. Her research currently revolves around physical activity
and health behavior. “I’m also interested in better understanding the
relationship between sedentary behavior and health in older adults,”
she says. She earned her PhD in Exercise Physiology this summer
from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Michael Ray
Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Health Science
A 2003 graduate of The College at Brockport, Mr. Ray is excited to
return to his alma mater. “Having remained in touch with a number
of the professors, I relish the opportunity to join this dedicated
group of faculty,” he says. His research involves technology-focused
professional development models for in-service teachers and the use
of discourse analysis to examine teachers’ professed versus enacted
beliefs. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Science Education from
the University at Buffalo.

Sheri Treadwell
Instructor

Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education
A former secondary physical education teacher, Ms. Treadwell felt her
greatest challenge was to find creative ways to help students discover
the joys of physical. “My hope was that they would choose to lead a
physically active lifestyle after they left my class. It seems natural that
I would continue toward that goal in my research,” she says. She is
in the midst of pursuing her PhD in Sport & Exercise Science: Sport
Pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado.

The School of Science and Mathematics
Carly Reed, PhD
Lecturer

Department of Chemistry
Dr. Reed recently completed her PhD in inorganic chemistry
from The Ohio State University. Dr. Reed says she chose to come
to Brockport because the college combines the best aspects of a
small school and a large university. She has long possessed a love of
learning. “I’ve always been excited to find out how things work and to
understand why certain phenomena occur in nature. This excitement
naturally led to a career in science,” she says.
Hong Yin, PhD
Assistant Professor

Department of Mathematics
Dr. Yin joins the College from the University of Southern
California, where he was an assistant professor in the Department
of Mathematics. Prior to that, he was a visiting assistant professor
in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Tech
University. Dr. Yin earned a PhD in mathematics from Louisiana
State University.